Part III Vocabulary and Introduction
Ms. Geller’s Fantastic Freshmen
Fall 2013
• To crouch and shrink back, as in fear or shame
Ex: Milhouse cowered in fear as Nelson pelted him with spitballs.
• Speech or behavior that
is aggressively forward
or rude; SYN: Rudeness,
insolence, disrespect.
Ex. The teacher was
infuriated by the bratty kid’s
impudence.
• Deeply embarrassed,
ashamed, or humiliated
Ex. Bob was mortified when
the pictures from his
catastrophic bachelor party
were posted on Facebook.
• To scold sharply; criticize
Ex. Mother rebuked me for
refusing to clean the
kitchen, although it was my
little sister who made the
mess.
• Outward appearance;
false appearance SYN:
façade
Ex. If you look beyond her
guise of fun-loving silliness,
you will discover that Tina is
actually very sensitive and
wise.
• Famous, widely known
Ex. Bobby is as renowned
for his skills on the football
field as he is for his musical
ability.
• To seize by force or
threats, especially in time
of need
Ex. The navy
commandeered a fleet of
merchant ships.
• A reason for an action
that shows it to be just,
right, or reasonable;
SYN: explanation,
rationale
Ex. The thief was able to
offer no justification for her
petty crimes.
• A sign or event thought
to foretell good or bad
fortune; forewarning
Ex. The optimistic bride
interpreted the beautiful
sunrise on her wedding day
as a good omen.
• Deserving of scorn,
contempt, disgust, etc.;
disgraceful.
Ex. I find any form of
prejudice to be absolutely
contemptible.
Where we are and where we’re going…
• Odysseus had just finished telling his story to King Alcinous of
Phaeacia.
• He is alone with nothing but the scraps of clothes on his back; his
entire fleet of ships has been destroyed and all of his men are
dead.
• The Phaeacians load Odysseus with gifts and take him home,
leaving him fast asleep on the shores of Ithaca.
• As they return home, Poseidon turns their ship into a lump of
stone for daring to assist Odysseus.
• Odysseus is disoriented after twenty years away from home,
but the goddess Athena meets him and tells him what’s been
going on:
• A number of young men from Ithaca and the surrounding islands have
moved into Odysseus’s castle
• Thinking that Odysseus is dead, the suitors, as they are called, eat his
food, drink his wine, and insist that Penelope choose one of them as her
husband.
• Penelope still loves Odysseus and has been faithfully praying
for his return every day.
• Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar and promises to
help him
• Odysseus seeks shelter with a faithful swineherd named
Eumaeus
• Meanwhile, Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, who had set out on a
journey to discover what happened to his father, escapes an
ambush by the suitors and secretly lands on Ithaca
• Following Athena’s instructions, Telemachus also goes to
Eumaeus’s hut.
• While Eumaeus is informing Penelope of her son’s return, Athena
appears to the disguised Odysseus.
• What’s in store for Odysseus now? Write a paragraph
describing what Odysseus must do now to restore peace to his
household and reunite his family.